Philosophy

Decades of deep thinking on early childhood education has gone into the development of the distinct Corlears Schoolcurriculum. Through social studies-based projects, our students use math, science, writing, and social justice to make sense of the world around them. Expert teachers introduce big and challenging ideas and guide students as they expand their thinking and put new abilities to the test—often in a real world context. literacy, quantitative reasoning, scientific inquiry, problem solving, and artistic expression are incorporated into every child’s course of study. In addition to their classroom teachers, students work with specialists in Spanish, art, music, library, technology and physical education.

We believe children must learn to solve complex problems, generate new ideas, and act on social responsibilities with compassion. We’ve designed a school just for that.

— David Egolf, Head of School

Students at Corlears learn concepts by engaging in problem solving activities that teachers develop in response to student interests and needs in our curricular areas. Throughout the school year, students engage in explorations that provide insight for answering their questions and for developing imagination, new interests, skills and conceptual understandings.

Our curricular goals and objectives are drawn from deep knowledge of the developmental stages of children and are highly rigorous.

Corlears employs a pedagogical approach that views the world from multiple perspectives, and seeks to build an economically and culturally diverse community that reflects the vibrant life of New York City. We recognize that students are interested in exploring differences as well as commonality among their peers and in the larger world, and we strive to create an atmosphere of respect and appreciation by encouraging students to tell their stories and actively listen to one another.